Improvement in metallic cartridges



A. HALL. Cartridge.

Patent/ed Sept. 15, 1863.

Inventor Witnese's;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT HALL, or DANVILLE, IO A.

IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC CARTRIDGES.

biped/ calionjhrming part of Letters Patent l\ '0. 39,915, dated September 15, 1863.

To all/whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT HALL, of Danville, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cartridges for Fire-Arms; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference boin g had to the accompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an outside longitudinal view of a ball-cartridge constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the same. Figs. 4 and 5 are outside longitudinal views, at right angles to each other, of the shell of the cartridge before it is charged.

Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

,This invention relates to cartridges of that class known as fixed ammunition and it consists in a certain novel and simple construction of such cartridges, whereby the shell is caused to be driven forward through and out of the barrel, along with the bullet, by the force of the explosion of the charge, but to be detached from the bullet, so that it will drop to the ground soon after leaving the barrel.

To enable others skilled in the art to makeand use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the shell of the cartridge, of copper or other metal. B is the bullet, and C is the percussion-primer. The shell A is 6f' ,cylindrical form, smaller, externally, than the largest por, tion of the bullet, and than the bore of the fire-arm in which it is to be used, and is made by a-stamping or-springing process with a solid head or front end, a, and with a shallow groove, 1), all round its exterior, very near to the said head, and should preferably be made thinnest at its rear end. One side of it is prolonged to form a narrow longitudinal, projec tion, 0, Figs. land 5, of which to make the primer 0, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The remaining portion of its rear end is trimmed olf square, and 'a number of longitudinal slits, d d, are cut init at equal distances apartto enable the intervehingportions e e to be turned over toward the center far enough to inclose the charge. Two transverse slits, ii, are also cut to partly separate the projection c, and leave it attached only by one of the portions e e which intervene between the slits d d. The primer c'is formed by rolling up the sides of the-projection 0, to form a small tube. The bullet B has formedinits base a concentric cavity, f f, to receive the head a of the shell A, and at the back of this cavity there is formed an an .nular groove, g, the outer side'of which forms a forward continuation of the sides of the said cavity.

This groove is exactly within the largest portion of the bullet, the extreme rear portion of which is reduced in size to form a thin lip, h, to be turned over into the groove b of-the shell, to attach the latter to the bullet.

After the shell has been attached-film bullet, and the projection c has been rolled up into tubular formto make the'primer' c, the. shell is charged. The portion a is then turned inward-at arightangleto thebody ofthe shell over the charge, and. theprimer Q- turne'd outward at a right angle to e, and parstructed for the use" of such cartridges are constructed to load in front of their chamber or chambers, and the portion or portions of the chamber or chambers which receive the shell A are made sufiiciently smaller than the portion or portions which receive the bullet or bullets for the shell to fit snugly thereinto, and

a hole or holes are provided in the breech for the primer or primers, whichrprotrude in a suitable manner to be struck by the hammer, for the ignition of thecharge.

The largest portion of the bullet is made of larger diameter than the bore of the barrel, that the bullet may be compressed in passing through the barrel. When the charge is ex ploded, the force acting equally on the front and rear ends of the shell, bursts open the rearend thereof, and by its action on thestronger front end, it forces the whole shell forward through the barrel, making it drive the bullet before it, and making it followthe bullet through the barrel, hutthe compression to Having thus-described. my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent--,

' As an im'proveclartie-le of manfaetnre, a metallie cartridge made with a pruning-tube in one piece with the shell A, the rear portion of the shell out and bent, as shown, the front portion grooved at b, and provided. with a bullet, B, grooved and attached to theshell,

all in the manner herein shown and described.

A. HALL.

Witnesses:

HENRY .T. BROWN, W. HAUFF. 

